I find it difficult to sum up my interests, as I am into everything. I love technology, and composting. I grew up in Hawaii, and live in Hollywood. Travelled with the Grateful Dead, studied Japanese cooking, worked Ren Faire, and have four kids. An Eagle Scout, magician member of the Magic Castle, aspiring ukulele player who loves steampunk, and am a born again Christian. Stick around to see how I manage to reconcile it all, and inject my special breed of humor into everything I do.

Sunday, May 21, 2006

James 2:14-26 Faith and Deeds

14What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? 15Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. 16If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? 17In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.

18But someone will say, "You have faith; I have deeds." Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do.

19You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.

20You foolish man, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless? 21Was not our ancestor Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? 22You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. 23And the scripture was fulfilled that says, "Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness," and he was called God's friend. 24You see that a person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone.

25In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction? 26As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.

Do you share your faith? Yes? How about, Do you go out of your way to verbally share your faith with strangers? Oh, I thought so. Why not? I lived as a Christian for ten years trying to not offend anyone, and trying to live in such a way that people would see the light of Christ in me and ask me how to get what I have. I doubt I even came close to living a good life as such a new Christian. And, more importantly not one person asked me how to get saved. Hmmm. As a matter of fact, waiting ten years to tell someone the Gospel was actually NOT living a good life, certainly if it meant that they would end up in Hell if they died in their sins.

Even the demons believe. What are you doing different than that? Let your compassion swallow up your fear and get out there and DO something.